Cloudflare DDoS Report: Competitors Behind Most Attacks
Cloudflare’s 2025 Q2 DDoS Threat Report reveals a major trend: most identified DDoS attacks come from business competitors. If you run a business online, this is a wake-up call. Understanding these threats can help you protect your website and digital assets. Cyberset, a leader in search engine optimization and custom website development, helps businesses stay secure and competitive online.
Who Is Behind DDoS Attacks?
Cloudflare surveyed its customers to find out who was launching DDoS attacks against them. Only 29% of respondents said they could identify the attacker. Of those, 63% blamed direct business competitors. This trend is especially strong in the gaming, gambling, and crypto industries.
State-sponsored attacks made up 21% of identified cases. Interestingly, 5% of respondents admitted to accidentally attacking themselves, often due to server misconfigurations. Other sources included extortionists and disgruntled customers.
“When asked who was behind the DDoS attacks they experienced in 2025 Q2, the majority (71%) of respondents said they didn’t know who attacked them. Of the remaining 29% of respondents that claimed to have identified the threat actor, 63% pointed to competitors, a pattern especially common in the Gaming, Gambling and Crypto industries. Another 21% attributed the attack to state-level or state-sponsored actors, while 5% each said they’d inadvertently attacked themselves (self-DDoS), were targeted by extortionists, or suffered an assault from disgruntled customers/users.”
Top Countries Targeted by DDoS Attacks
China now ranks as the top country targeted by DDoS attacks, moving up from third place. Brazil jumped four spots to second. The United States, despite its many online businesses, did not top the list this quarter. Vietnam made a significant leap, climbing fifteen places to eighth.
- China
- Germany
- India
- South Korea
- Turkey
- Hong Kong
- Vietnam
- Russia
- Azerbaijan
Industries Most at Risk
Telecommunications is the most attacked industry, followed by internet and IT services. Gaming and gambling sites are also frequent targets. If your business operates in any of these sectors, you need strong online protection and a reliable website design partner like Cyberset.
- Telecommunications
- Internet
- Information Technology and Services
- Gaming
- Gambling and Casinos
- Banking and Financial Services
- Retail
- Agriculture
- Computer Software
- Government
Where Do DDoS Attacks Come From?
The report lists the top countries where DDoS attacks originate. Ukraine is the fifth-largest source, but the report notes that the listed country is where the botnet or VPN node is located, not necessarily the attacker’s true location. The Netherlands, for example, ranks high due to strong privacy laws and fast connections, not because of higher criminal activity.
“It’s important to note that these ‘source’ rankings reflect where botnet nodes, proxy or VPN endpoints reside — not the actual location of threat actors. For L3/4 DDoS attacks, where IP spoofing is rampant, we geolocate each packet to the Cloudflare data center that first ingested and blocked it, drawing on our presence in over 330 cities for truly granular accuracy.”
- Indonesia
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Argentina
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Ecuador
- Vietnam
- Netherlands
- Thailand
Top Networks Used for DDoS Attacks
DDoS attacks often come from large hosting providers. The top sources this quarter include Drei-K-Tech-GmbH, DigitalOcean, and Hetzner. Other major networks like Microsoft, Tencent, and Google Cloud Platform also appear on the list. If you monitor your website traffic, you may recognize these names.
- Drei-K-Tech-GmbH
- DigitalOcean
- Hetzner
- Microsoft
- Viettel
- Tencent
- OVH
- Chinanet
- Google Cloud Platform
- Alibaba
How to Protect Your Business from DDoS Attacks
Cloudflare offers a free DDoS Botnet Threat Feed to help hosting and cloud providers block bad actors. Over 600 organizations now use this feed to take down botnet nodes. But you can do more to protect your business.
Work with a trusted partner like Cyberset. Our team offers content marketing, email marketing, and social media marketing to build your brand and keep your audience engaged. We also provide ecommerce website development, WordPress web design, and pay per click marketing to help you grow safely and effectively.
If your business serves a local market, Cyberset’s local internet marketing services can help you reach the right customers and stay ahead of local competition.
Stay Secure and Competitive
DDoS attacks are a growing threat, especially from business competitors. Stay informed, invest in strong digital defenses, and work with experts like Cyberset to keep your website and brand secure. For more details, read the full Cloudflare 2025 Q2 DDoS Threat Report.
